Cusco, Peru Travel Guide: The Most Epic Way to Spend 2 Weeks in South America

In this Peru travel guide, we’ll be diving deep into the rich culture, ancient history, and breathtaking landscapes as we unveil the must-visit attractions, hidden gems, and insider tips for an unforgettable journey. Discover the magic of Cusco and its surrounding treasures with our Peru travel guide – your gateway to a remarkable adventure in the heart of the Andes.

I just got back from a biggg trip to South America, where I spent some time in Cusco, Peru, as well as Patagonia, Argentina, where I hosted a 7-day hiking trip. My time in South America was incredible, and Cusco, Peru, was one of the highlights. Read on to discover the best way to spend two weeks in this magical region in South America!

Peru Travel Guide – Intro to Cusco

Cusco sits at about 11,000 feet above sea level, tucked inside massive rolling mountains and nearby glaciers. There’s so much romance to the city streets, we were amazed with how much we enjoyed it. Like all cities, Cusco is a mix of tourist areas and small pockets of wonderful local communities. The streets are extremely clean, given the moderately large population, tourists, and the many stray dogs. We quickly realized we needed to hire the same cleaning crew to come to the cities in the US! 🙂

Much of Cusco’s economy relies on tourism. An estimated 1.5 million people per year visit the area to see its beautiful history. Whether it’s Machu Picchu, the glacier mountains, or the Amazon, there’s so many things to do from Cusco!

For the most part, everything is more affordable than in the US. (The conversion rate is 26 cents to 1 Peruvian Sol!). You can use this conversion calculator when budgeting for your trip. We ate at the fanciest restaurants and had the most delicious food, averaging about $15 per dinner! The morning or lunch meals were more in the $10 range, which is eating WELL. I’m talking nice meals. If you’re going for even more local and cheap options, you’re looking at $3-$5 meals.

Best Time To Go:

The best times to go to Cusco are April and May or October and November. We were there from October 4th to 21st. There aren’t so many tourists during these months, and there’s also little to no rain. The rainy season tends to stay between November and April. But overall, they have very nice and mild weather that tends to stay around 60 degrees.

What to Pack:

What you pack depends on the activities you want to do while you are there. Most of your city time you will only need a light jacket, and you could wear pants and a tank top during the day. I wore a romper and tank top and was warm during the day; then, I would need a jacket by evening. I would bring a poncho or rain jacket.

If you are packing super light but have tours booked, most companies have gear available to rent, like Day packs, trekking poles, sleeping bags, bug spray, sunscreen… etc. Bring your own clothing hiking layers, though. Downtown Cusco has a few extremely expensive outdoor gear shops(like Patagonia).

Other than that, there are few to no good stores for your average outdoor clothes. Always pack a personal med kit! Normal Medicine can be confusing to find, and we ended up having to buy Tylenol by the pill at some shops. The city does have super markets with shampoo and basic hygiene needs.

How to Get There:

You’ll most likely fly into Lima, Peru, and then take a 1-hour connection flight to Cusco. (If you have a long layover in Lima, they say there’s incredible food). When you land in Cusco, there are usually a lot of taxis outside waiting, so don’t stress about having that lined up before arriving.

ProTip: Some super helpful info we got from many tour guides was to never drink tap water and to stay away from fresh fruits and veggies unless you can peel them. Tap water isn’t filtered and often contains harmful bacteria that can make you sick. Most produce is also washed with this water.

ProTip: Check your hotel before you book to make sure they have hot water 💦 and know you cannot throw toilet paper in the toilets. They don’t have the same plumbing system as we do in the US, so you’ll be throwing your TP in a bag or trash can. It sounds gross, but you get used to it.

Peru for My Budget People

If you have the time, I highly recommend looking at multiple options when buying tours, food, gifts, etc. It is a tourist town, so they will often try to overcharge you. Do your research. Go to 3-5 places and see the average price for that activity/item. Then offer a lower price than the average. Most places are willing to negotiate on the price.

For example:

At one store, a sweater was priced at S/100 ($ 26 USD). At another store, we were able to buy that same sweater for S/35 ($ 9 USD)!
For our 2-day Machu Picchu tour, we were offered prices between $210 and $270 (without an entry ticket).

For more budget-friendly food, go three to four blocks away from the center plaza (aka where all the tourist attractions are.) We found a lot of options for S/20-40 per dish just a block away from the center, while meals are priced more in the S/50-70 range in the busy areas. That’s a big difference for a short walk! Sometimes, you can even get free drinks or a small discount at restaurants if you play hard to get.

Also, ask prices before you purchase things like a taxi or groceries. If they know you’re not from there they will charge you more/ the tourist price. We quickly realized Uber was usually cheaper than a taxi because they have set prices and can’t randomly charge extra.

A Cusco Trip for my Ballin’ Out People

Look up the 5-star restaurants and try it all! It’s so good. Make sure to see the local ruins in the city in your spare time, and try all the fresh juice you can because it’s so flavorful.

When it comes to activities, I recommend Salkantay Trekking. They have amazing reviews and are 5-star worthy. Book these trips ahead of time. They might not be as flexible on pricing, but they are worth every penny! Carlos, “The Mountain King,” was our guide, and he made the trip so positive and fun! If you book with Salkantay, make sure to request him! (More info on our experience below.)

Restaurants we ate at and loved

My favorite local dishes & drinks

Any fresh juice! Mango, Maraquia, and chicha Morada are my favorite.
Saltado – kinda like a stir fry!
Papa Relleno – Stuffed potato!
Any slow-cooked lamb or beef
Aji de gallina – Peruvian cream sauce dish with chicken

Airbnbs We Stayed at in Peru

Choosing a location that is walkable to Plaza de Armas is ideal. That is where you’ll find your tours, restaurants, and shops. My personal favorite side is the Northeast side of the main square near San Blas. There are Lots of cute streets.

Sara’s Place is in a Great location with a view of the whole town. It was only a 10-15-minute walk to the main square along a very nice walkway. They can pick you up from the airport, do laundry, and make food if you ask.

Virginia’s Place Studio was very affordable and in a great location! It’s even closer to town, and it’s still on the same cute walkway.

Mountain View is a very fancy place near Maras. It was EXTREMELY beautiful. Just know that it was isolated in terms of places to eat other than the hotel, which had a limited menu and was slightly pricey.

Hotel Iorana This is in Urubamba. They were extremely nice and accommodating. They made a delicious fresh breakfast for us and helped us order dinner for delivery to the hotel. The hotel has a hot tub, sauna, and yoga room for guests.

Hotel Luz Garden was a great place to stay during our time in Aguas Caliente, near Machu Picchu. It is a nice hotel near the train station and shops.

Activities & Tour Companies to Check Out in Peru

Machu Picchu

I would highly recommend getting Machu Picchu entry tickets online and in advance. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait in line for hours in Aguas Caliente, the town nearest the ruins, and a ticket isn’t 100% guaranteed. Buy the entry ticket only, then book an all-inclusive tour with a local company in town when you arrive in Cusco (there are hundreds of tour companies, don’t stress). I recommend Illapa Tours (Joel was the manager’s name when we went). Everything will go way smoother this way, and you won’t have to worry so much!

Here are a few options if you want to buy in advance:

Full 2-day Tour to Machu Pichuu with salt mines

Full 2 day Tour to Machu Pichuu

ENTRY TICKET ONLY

Rainbow Mountain

Rainbow Mountain is a stunning and unique mountain famous for its vibrant colors. It’s actually alternating layers of mineral deposits that create such a mesmerizing variety of hues. We paid for a taxi to take us. It was S/400 for the whole day, which is definitely worth it if you have a large group and want to do it on your own time.

If you want to book in advance:

Rainbow Mountain

Rainbow Mountain on ATV

Humantay Lake

Salkantay Trekking, overall best experience with a tour company. They communicated extremely well and were very officiant. They fed us incredible meals and went above and beyond to make everything fun and enjoyable for everyone. We did two days and one night hiking Humantay Lake and Salkantay Pass. We stayed in the most incredible domes that were made of glass. We ate four-course meals and watched shooting stars. Again, I would highly recommend any trip with that company and ask for Carlos “The Mountain King.”

Amazon Jungle

We booked in Cusco at a local tour company, but we would not recommend booking with them… I will have a separate blog post on our four days in the jungle, including my tour guide recs and where you should stay! Message me for information if it’s not up yet!

Our tour was about $500 for four days and three nights. Here is a link for similar tours for now if you are interested in checking them out. But know you’ll still have to find a bus or flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado. Most tours pick up from the bus station and airport in Puerto Maldonado.

2 Nights 3 DaysTambopata Reserve

3 Nights 4 Days Tambopata Reserve

Maras Salt Flats. They are 1.5 hours away and you can ATV there or just hike around! They are very beautiful.

Cooking classes and dance classes! A great way to experience the local culture.

Overall, the trip was incredible! There is SO much to do just in the city of Cusco alone! The city has so much charm that you’ll enjoy it just as much as the tours of the surrounding attractions!

My biggest advice is to book your flights and plan the rest when you arrive! The country’s laid-back vibe made for lots of spontaneity. We decided the day before the jungle that we wanted to go and found multiple places with available trips.

I hope this guide is a sign to book your ticket to Cusco and see how your adventure unfolds! Have you ever been to Peru? Let me know in the comments below!